Cargo supporting floor for a motor lorry

Abstract

A motor lorry cargo supporting floor consists of a plurality of planks which are fixed to at least two supporting beams forming part of the chassis of the motor lorry. The planks are aluminum extrusions fixed to the beams by clips engaging the beams and flanges of supporting portions of the planks, the supporting portions of the planks also engaging the clips to retain the clips in position.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. A cargo supporting floor assembly for a motor lorry, said assembly including at least two beams which are generally parallel and co-extensive, a plurality of generally planar planks which extend longitudinally generally transverse of said beams and are abutted so as to provide a generally horizontal load receiving surface, each plank having longitudinally parallel co-extensive edges, one of said edges being shaped so as to provide a recess and the other edge having a tongue matingly received within the recess of the next adjacent plank so that abutting edges of adjacent planks co-operate to prevent relative horizontal and vertical movement between adjacent planks in directions normal to said longitudinal edges, each plank further having longitudinal support portions extending longitudinally adjacent each said edge and generally transverse of and engaging said beams to that each plank is supported thereby, a plurality of clip means attached to said beams but movable therealong during construction of the floor assembly and engaging the planks to secure the planks to the beams to prevent relative movement of the planks vertically from said beams, each plank having clip engaging means and clip retaining means, with the retaining means spaced from the engaging means, the clips being positioned so as to extend between the clip engaging means of one plank and the clip retaining means of the next adjacent plank, and wherein the clips engage the clip engaging means to prevent vertical movement of the planks away from the beams and the clip retaining means retain the clips in position by preventing clip movement longitudinally of the beams. 
     
     
       2. The floor assembly according to claim 1 wherein each support portion is provided with a flange portion, which flange portions rest on the beams, and said clip engaging means of each plank is provided by one of the flange portions thereof. 
     
     
       3. The floor assembly according to claim 1 wherein said tongue has a generally horizontal extending main projection portion and a downwardly extending secondary projection portion, and said recess engages said main projection portion to prevent vertical relative movement between adjacent planks, and engages said secondary projection portion to prevent horizontal relative movement between adjacent planks. 
     
     
       4. The floor assembly according to claim 1 wherein each beam has an upper flange upon which said planks rest and said clips have a recess within which the beam flange is received so that the clips are movable therealong. 
     
     
       5. The floor assembly according to claim 4 wherein said recess is "T-shaped".